May: Spotlight on Global Jihad

Spotlight on Global Jihad (May 2-7, 2019)

The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center At the Israeli Intelligence Heritage and Commemoration Center

Main events of the week

In the Syrian arena, most of the fighting took place between the jihadi organizations and the Syrian army in the Idlib area. During the past week, the intensity of the incidents in the area increased: The Syrian army attacked bases of the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham in the southern Idlib area. In addition, Russian and Syrian aircraft carried out intensive airstrikes against rebel targets in the rural areas of Hama, Idlib, and Aleppo. The rebel organizations (once again) launched rockets at Russian aircraft at the Hmeymim airbase and attacked Syrian army targets using armed UAVs.

In the Iraqi arena, the Iraqi security forces began extensive mopping up operations against ISIS in the deserts of the northwestern part of the country. The mopping up is being carried out by ground forces, with air support. ISIS continued routine guerrilla activity this week, focusing on the detonation of IEDs against vehicles on roads used by Iraqi security forces.

The intensive activity of ISIS’s provinces abroad continues: In the northern Sinai Peninsula, an IED was detonated against Egyptian soldiers and snipers fired at them (five soldiers were reportedly killed and nine wounded); In northeastern Nigeria, a Nigerian army base was attacked (ISIS claimed that 10 soldiers had been killed); In the Libya Province (the area of Sabha, the city in the center of the country), a headquarters of Haftar’s Army was attacked (around nine fatalities) and two IEDs were detonated against Afghan policemen in the Nangarhar Province, near the border with Pakistan (ISIS claimed that seven were killed). In the Yemen Province, a suicide bomber attacked an Al-Qaeda position (four dead, according to ISISs announcement).

The Idlib area

During the past week, incidents intensified between the Syrian army and the jihadi rebel organizations in the Idlib area: The Syrian army attacked bases of the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham about 35 km northwest of Hama and fired massive artillery. Russian and Syrian aircraft carried out over 100 airstrikes against targets of the rebel organizations in the rural areas of Hama, Idlib and Aleppo. The jihadi rebel organizations attacked Syrian army targets by armed UAVs, launched (once again) rockets at Russian aircraft at the Hmeymim airbase, launched rockets at a Syrian Air Force airbase and carried out ground attacks.Ground attacks against the Syrian army in the southern Idlib area

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